Archaeologists have uncovered what may be the house where Jesus grew up in Nazareth. The mortar-and-stone house built into a rocky hillside dates back to the first century.

The house was first uncovered in the 1880s by nuns, but it wasn't until Ken Dark, an English archaeologist, dated the house to the time of Jesus, Mary and Joseph lived.

"Was this the house where Jesus grew up? It is impossible to say on archaeological grounds," Dark wrote in an article published in the magazine Biblical Archaeology Review. "On the other hand, there is no good archaeological reason why such an identification should be discounted."

The 24-hour crisis hotline for those considering leaving their faith is operated by Recovering From Religion, a Kansas City, Mo.-based nonprofit that aids those transitioning out of faith.

“When people are reconsidering the role religion plays in their lives, they risk losing their families, their spouses, their jobs,” said Sarah Morehead, executive director of Recovering From Religion. “These people are isolated, excluded, shunned. It rocks these people to the bottom of their hearts. It is heartbreaking.”

Hotline volunteers will not advocate leaving religion for atheism, Kimberly Winston writes for the Religion News Service, but will offer support and resources.

Central Florida’s religious community will be conducting a joint event to build compassionate communities on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m. The event will take place at the American Muslim Community Center, located at 811 Wilma Street, in Longwood, Fla.

Participants include Dr. Joel C. Hunter of Northland, A Church Distributed; Atif Fareed of American Muslim Community Centers; Rabbi Steven W. Engel of Congregation of Reform Judaism; Pastor Jim Mory, Longwood Hills Congregational Church; Ustadh Ali Ataie of Zaytuna College and other individuals and faith leaders. Together, they will focus on how to build compassionate communities and speak out against those seeking to tear down the human family.

"We strongly condemn violence against any innocent victims in the name of God, national or international interests. This shall include the murder, beheading, burning, rape or bombing of innocent people, whether Christians, Jews, Muslims or adherents of any other faith. Acts of...

A conference on how the United Methodist Church can be more inclusive of the LGBTQ community will be held on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Reeves United Methodist Church at 1100 N. Ferncreek Ave., in Orlando.

Florida fairly mirrors the United States when it comes to religious affiliation, according to the Public Religion Research Institute's new American Values Atlas.

We are 17 percent white evangelical Protestant. The U.S. is 18 percent. We're 11 percent black Protestant; U.S., 8 percent. We're 11 percent white Catholic, the U.S. is 13 percent. We are 10 percent Hispanic Catholic to 8 percent in the U.S. All the way down to religiously unaffiliated (21 percent Florida, 22 percent U.S.) we closely parallel the nation overall. Even the people who don't know or refused to tell is nearly identical: 3 percent for us, 2 percent for U.S.

The interactive, online atlas shows how all 50 states fall in issues ranging from abortion to immigration to same-sex marriage along with demographic and political inform. Check it out here: http://ava.publicreligion.org/

Stephen Smith of OpenBible.info has been tracking what people give up for Lent since 2009 through Twitter. One of the top things they are giving up in the 40 days leading to Easter: Twitter.

Giving up tweeting ranks third in the top five for 2015, behind school and chocolate and ahead of alcohol and social networking.

Christianity Today reports that Baby Boomers are the least likely to fast for Lent. Only 10 percent of those born between 1946 and 1964 are giving up food for Lent. Those born before 1946 are the most likely -- 26 percent -- while 20 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 50 will fast.